Toronto The Residences of 488 University Avenue | 206.95m | 55s | Amexon | Core Architects

Yeah I get not covering the Canada Life Building and all but moving the house to that intersection in the first place was just poor planning.
 
Interesting fact I learnt at the AIC conference this week...Ground leases can go as long as 999 years in Canada (Vancouver has some that are 999 years long apparently.) 100 years is common in Toronto from what I have heard.
 
Avenue said:
Yeah I get not covering the Canada Life Building and all but moving the house to that intersection in the first place was just poor planning.
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I disagree. Not every corner needs some high density tower on it. I like that a historic museum house is in such a high profile spot. Contributes towards showing that Toronto actually does have some history aside from glass towers.
 
Red October said:
I disagree. Not every corner needs some high density tower on it. I like that a historic museum house is in such a high profile spot. Contributes towards showing that Toronto actually does have some history aside from glass towers.
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+1. As an out-of-town friend said to me last week of Toronto (well, speaking of Southcore, at least), "It could be Dallas."
 
Red October said:
I disagree. Not every corner needs some high density tower on it. I like that a historic museum house is in such a high profile spot. Contributes towards showing that Toronto actually does have some history aside from glass towers.
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Osgoode Hall and the Opera already fulfill that sort of function. The intersection is 1 for 4 for density. It's not like it's suffocated or anything.

Queen and University on top of a subway station can't be reduced to "every corner" either.
 
Red October said:
I disagree. Not every corner needs some high density tower on it. I like that a historic museum house is in such a high profile spot. Contributes towards showing that Toronto actually does have some history aside from glass towers.
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Not "every corner", but for intersections within 3 minutes walk from a subway station, yes. There should be a law banning any building being shorter than 10 stories tall within a certain radious of a subway station.

We do need some history, but as suggested, they can be moved somewhere.
 
As long as they pass a companion law forbidding the construction of ugly or merely excruciatingly bland buildings, I'd be down with that. Good luck setting up the mechanism determining the aesthetics.
 
From June 5 (as found on the Toddglen website):

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slebl028 said:
From June 5 (as found on the Toddglen website):

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Wondering why that angle wasn't welded in the shop or was it an after thought?? Or is he welding the studs onto the bean to anchor the concrete to it??

I for one don't support tall buildings at every corner of intersections and don't have an issue with the 4 corners of Queen and University at all. As for style and type of buildings, that another story.

Some should take a walk on Woodward Ave in downtown Detroit these days and compare it to Toronto. Put Toronto to shame. It show how to bring buildings up to code and not use the face of the building for the interior new addition.
 
Every American city has elements that put Toronto to shame in the architecture and City building sense. Culturally they just put more emphasis on showing off and concentrating resources in their best. However dig deeper or stray a few blocks and the drop-off in substance can be jarring.
 
TrickyRicky said:
Every American city has elements that put Toronto to shame in the architecture and City building sense. Culturally they just put more emphasis on showing off and concentrating resources in their best. However dig deeper or stray a few blocks and the drop-off in substance can be jarring.
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I suppose this city never really had the early 20th century heyday to the extent of larger US cities and Montreal. Toronto's boom was more post war... and right now :)
 
Speaking of Detroit, there's actually a building in their core that looks identical to 488 University prior to the re-clad. For all the negative news that city gets, I will say there are definitely things I admire there that Toronto should have done and missed the boat. Chief among that would be wide sidewalks; walk along some of the sidewalks in their core and it will put Toronto's sidewalks to shame.

800px-OneWoodwardAvenue.JPG
 
Amare said:
Speaking of Detroit, there's actually a building in their core that looks identical to 488 University prior to the re-clad. For all the negative news that city gets, I will say there are definitely things I admire there that Toronto should have done and missed the boat. Chief among that would be wide sidewalks; walk along some of the sidewalks in their core and it will put Toronto's sidewalks to shame.

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That's One Woodward Avenue, one of Detroit's more famous landmarks. Its architect, Minoru Yamasaki, designed NYC's original World Trade Centre. It's a high-profile landmark. Its owners have carefully renovated it in the past, preserving its distinctive elements.
 
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